Ag Food and Resource Economics Summer Experiences

Week 2 of Sam’s Club

Sorry that I wasn’t able to post my first week blog since I wasn’t invited as an author. But Sam’s club has provided me a lot of knowledge that I wasn’t aware of. During my first day as a management intern; I thought that Sam’s Club was all about food. I quickly learned that Sam’s Club is all about their members. Members are the reason why Sam’s Club is one of the best firm to shop at. My first day involved me looking at different departments of the store. I spent most of my time in the receiving area where the behind the scenes work is done. In the receiving area, I was able to count inventory and stocking things on the shelves so that I can get used to the store. On my 2nd day, I got out my comfort zone. My sales floor manager wanted me to build 3 deck boxes. Building and fixing is not my forte but I had to get the task done. When it comes to inventory, Sam’s Club pushes the associates to focus on seasonal items. Majority of the customers that I helped asked me about air conditioners or other summer related items.

On the 2nd week of the internship, I was helping out produce stock items on the shelves. Before I started my shift Monday morning, the freezer went out. My team lead and I had to figure something before the store open. So we put signs out saying that the freezer is broken. Two hours later, we found out that inspectors will be at the club around 11:30. My team lead and I put as much produce out as possible. I had to pull out produce that were expired or that did not look good. I found out that we made a good impression with the produce. When it comes to being a general manager, inventory is one of many things that I should be concern about. My training coordinator taught me how to conduct an orientation for new employees. I was able to conduct in orientation with 2 new employees on Tuesday. I went over their paper work and I gave them a tour of the club. I also learned about budgeting. My club has at least 40 employees. There’s a finance budget my Club has to meet on the daily basis. If my club goes over that budget, then my club will be flagged for it.

So far, this internship has allowed me to be more assertive within the workforce. I learned that working in teams is better than working by yourself.